Fence



3 R. B. LINDSEY 2,010,309

FENCE Filed Aug. 9. 1954 INVENTOR, RAY B. LINDSEY ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 6, 1935 UNITED STATES NOE Bay B. Lindsey, Losantville, Ind.

Application August 9,

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in fences. It has especial reference to a fence of that type used for live stock inclosures, such a fence being provided with a strand of barbed wire retained in spaced relation to the fence proper, and which said strand serves as a guard to protect the fence from injury.

Advantages to be desired are, that the devices for supporting the guard strand may be economical of construction, strong and durable and easy to install, and that the guard strand may be dependably supported and stayed.

In maturing my invention I have taken into account the importance structurally of the upright stay or brace wires that are embodied in the fence fabric, and I have also kept in mind the need of a secure fastening between the guard strand and the support device therefor.

Accordingly, my invention which may be designated as a support-and-stay device, consists of the new construction, combination and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and described in the following specification. The invention is defined in the appended claims.

In the drawing- Figure 1 is a perspective View of my improved support and stay device.

Figure 2 is a perspective View, showing my invention installed in connection with a fence structure of conventional form.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the outer end or loop portion of the device.

Figure 4 is a view of the device showing the appearance of same when it is held in a horizontal position.

My improved support-and-stay device consists of a resilient metal wire of suitable gauge and predetermined length and which at its one end is fashioned into a hook I that is provided with an eye la. At a predetermined distance from the said hook, the body portion 9 of said wire is fashioned into a two sided laterally directed and inturned loop. The sides 6 and 6 of this loop are so spaced as to permit the entry therebetween, of the barbed wire strand A. The distance between the sides 6 and 6 of said loop, and the elbow portions 1 and 1 thereof, is such as to clear the coil of the barb B of the guard strand. The end 8 of the said loop is inturned as shown in Figure 3. At a predetermined distance from the said loop, the body portion 10 of said wire is fashioned into a yoke 12 with incurved neck 14. The remaining body portion 15 of the wire is 1934, Serial No. 739,062

of straight formation, its end portion being indicated by the numeral 16.

The device in readiness to be applied to use, appears as shown in Figure 1. For a fence four feet in height or thereabout, my device is about sixteen inches in length from its upright portion i5 to the loop portion 66, and is constructed of suitably treated steel wire of resilient quality and which is about five sixtcenths to three eights of an inch in diameter. It will be understood of course that the device may be supplied in various dimensions and sizes in accordance with the needs for which it is intended. As plainly shown in the drawing, the device is of unitary structure. It is capable of being manipulated by a person of only ordinary skill; also it is capable of being used generally on fences wherein the distances between the line wires may be variable.

It will be understood that in the work of in stalling the guard strand A, the ends thereof are first made fast to fixed objects such as fence posts (not shown) and that it is drawn taut.

A simple method of installing my invention is as follows;

The device, in the vertical position as shown in Figure l, is taken in hand and is turned at an angle, and is lowered to position, as shown in Fig ure 4, wherein the head portion 8 of the loop rests upon the guard strand A, and the sides 6 and 6 of the loop lie alongside the guard strand. The 0 device is then drawn in the direction of arrow in Figure L, the loop making engagement with the barb B. The device is now swung upwardly (the loop being in pivotal engagement with the barb) to substantially a vertical position and thence it is swung the greater part of a quarter of a revolution at a right angle to the line of the guard strand. I5 is now in position adjacent to the upright wire 5 of the fence. It will be seen that so long as the device is in position at substantially a right angle to the guard strand, it is automatically united with the latter, the barb being held fast by the elbows and head of the loop, and the guard strand being held fast by the sides of the loop.

15 is now passed over one of the line wires of the fence, in the present instance, wire 2, and at the right hand side of wire 5. As the device becomes lowered the yoke I2 comes to proximity with wire 2. l5 will have passed to rear and thence to left of wire 5 and thence in front of wire 3. Hook l is now engaged with the vertical wire 5 at position above the fence line wire 4. Now the end 16 of body wire 15 is threaded through the eye la. Now a downward pressure on the yoke |2the said yoke neck M passes the line wire 2; the hook having come to rest on the line wire 4, and the end It having reached projected position whence it extends beyond the said hook, and it is in position in front of the line wire 3.

By the practice just described, the device will have become so combined with the vertical wire 5 and the line wires 2, 3 and 4, that it is held rigidly and securely in position, and there is no tendency to rock, or loosen, or vibrate. At the same time the device is so combined with the guard strand that there is avoided any possible tendency to move pivotally on its connection at the vertical wire 5 of the fence.

The device is not only tenaciously fastened to the fence, but thereis a tenacious connection to and fastening with the guard wire. Moreover the strength and stiffness of the fence-upright wire 5 is so utilized that whereas the device is relatively light in weight, it is of maximum strength and stability to effectively maintain the guard strand in place. I'he urge of the arm portions 9 and it being divergent and these members being re-' silient, it is easyto demount the device. This is accomplished by raising the device until the yoke clears the wire 2 with further raising of the yoke, the end 56 will have passed from the eye to and the device is free. It is then swung to vertical position (pivotally on the strand) and it is then brought down to horizontal position, as shown in Figure 4. Now by moving the device in the direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow it is detached from the guard strand.

My invention is considered as being in the preferred form, as shown. It will be understood that by forming the hook in position opposite to the position in which it is shown, the device would be left handed-tl1at is to sayin installing it, the yoke would reside at the left, rather than at the right side of the vertical wire 5. In either form, the device so functions that when the rod !5 is passed through eye to and the yoke is in the position engaged with line wire 2, there is tenacious frictional coengagement, not only at the yoke and wire 2, the hook and wire 5, the eye I a and rod i5, and the rod I5 at wire 3.

The invention lends itself to extreme economy in manufacture, the only operations necessary, being those incident to the bending and curling of the metal to form the hook, loop and yoke above described. Being of universal design in its details, and being adaptable to variation of the spacing between the hook. and the yoke, one standard size .of the device is suitable for all of the requirements in the fencing problems of an ordinary farm or ranch. Another advantage is that the device lends itself to economy in the merchandising thereof, as it may be packed in bulk, or it may be the subject of packing in lots of predetermined number.

It will be understood that minor changes may be made in the form and details of the structure illustrated, and in which my invention is embodied, without departing from the principle of the invention, and I wish the invention to be construed as of breadth and scope consistent with the terms of the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention, is

1. In combination with the upright wire, and crossing line wires of the fence, and with the barb wire guard strand therefor, asupport structure embodying opposed resilient divergent members whose vertex constitutes a loop to engage and to be made fast to the guard strand at a barb thereof, the free portion of one of said members being united with the upright wire and crossing line wires of the fence and being made fast to the end of the other of said members.

2. In combination with the upright wire, and

crossing line wires of the fence and with the barb Wire guard strand, a support structure embodying opposed resilient divergent members whose vertex constitutes a loop to engage the guard strand at the barb thereof, and whichsaid structure when turned at an angle to said guard strand becomes interlocked with said barb, one of said members being provided with a hook to engage the upright wire of the fence, and having an eye, and the other member being provided with a yoke and an extension, whereby when the structure is engaged at its loop with the guard strand, and is engaged at itsyoke with one of the fence line wires, the said extension is engaged with the upright and with the lower line. wire, and with the eye of the hook, substantially described.

3. In combination with the upright wire, and crossing line wires of the fence, and with the barb wire guard strand, a resilient support structure triangular in formation, the end of one side thereof being of straight formation, and the end of the adjacent side of the triangle being provided' with a hook, one vertex having a l'oop and the other vertex having a yoke, all whereby the guard strand is engaged by the loop, and the yoke, straight side, and hook, engage the line wires and the upright wire of the fence, the support structure and guard strand thereby being made secure in their positions.

4. A support and stay structure of the kind described, consisting of a resilient metal wire of predetermined length bent into the form of a triangle, one end of said wire being elongated,"

and the other end of said wire being fashioned into the form of a hook, one vertex of the triangle having a lateral and inturned loop to 'engage the guard strand, and the other vertex of the triangle being fashioned into the form of a yoke to engage a fence line wire.

RAY B. LINDSEY. 

